mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmi-tə-ˈgā-shən 

plural mitigations

: the act of mitigating something or the state of being mitigated : the process or result of making something less severe, dangerous, painful, harsh, or damaging

mitigation of suffering

mitigation of punishment

There was, in sum, a period during the Cold War … when a mitigation of the Cold War, including a renegotiation of some of its most troublesome tensions, was possible or even probable.

—John Lukacs

Examples of mitigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In mitigation, Fonseca faced an uphill battle from the start. —James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

That doesn’t come as a surprise, as Trump courted oil executives for donations during the election—reportedly with Hamm serving as his main point person—and has put a heavy emphasis on ramping up oil and gas drilling in the U.S. and curbing climate change mitigation efforts. —Alison Durkee, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

What's New New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed legislation this week that requires major fossil fuel companies to contribute fees to support New York's climate change mitigation efforts. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, the Forest Service’s annual spend on wildfire prevention and mitigation, which hit $4.9 billion in 2023, is likely to continue to rise. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmit-ə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of mitigating or state of being mitigated

the cure, prevention, or mitigation of disease

—Encyclopedia Americana

2

: something that mitigates

a large number of drugs and mitigations … at the clinic

—The Journal of the American Medical Association